Wintermoore:
Overview: The nation of Wintermoore is a Commonwealth, set up to protect the interests of the nation's people. The nation is an island one, with a northern climate and covered in pine forests and hills. The country is headed by the Director of State and its laws are made by the general assembly. The nation is a very influential player in the region and is still striving to become a worldwide player. Geography: The geography of Wintermoore is one of a northern country. The nation is a larger island in the Northern Sea. The nation is strategically located in the middle of the Southfield Trade Triangle, (STT), and gets a major trade deal from the ships passing by their major ports; such as White Harbor, White Shore, and Ice Bay. The island is divided by the Snow Mountains that run down the middle of the island from east to west. The divide in the island does little to keep the people apart and the people have grown together to form the culture of the nation of Wintermoore. In the east, the people live primarily in the forests, logging and making farms to feed the people of the island. The west, the majority of the population lives in the coastal trade cities, such as White Harbor and White Shore. The Whiyre Forest covers most of the north half of the island, and even stretches into the east. The south part of the island is filled with a huge plain, where the nation gets its main agricultural yields (along with the eastern farms). There is a main road in the island that goes to almost all the major cities of the nation, connecting people everywhere to each other. It goes be different names in the different regions of the country. In the north it is known as the Snow Road, in the south it is known as the Golden Road, in the West it is known as the Sea Road, and in the East, it is known as the Wooded Road. The nation of Wintermoore is divided up into four administrative divisions: The Eastern State, with its capital being Whiyre, The Western State, with its capital being White Harbor, The Northern State, with its capital being Whiyre, and The Southern State, with its capital being Gold Pointe. There are also two different plants that are indigenous to the island of Wintermoore, and cannot be found anywhere else. The first of them being the Whiyre Tree, it has white wood and bark with silver leaves. It yields a silver fruit in the shape of a sphere. Once cut, the inside is black in color. The fruit is used in foods and the juice for medical practices. The second plant that is indigenous to the island of Wintermoore is the Night Leaves. These plants are considered to be only used for medicines and have been known to reduce pain and cure fevers. It is commonly used in the Milk of the Night, a common medical pain killer. Religion: The nation is known for its religiousness, and there is a major religion within the nation. This religion, known only as the Church of the Nine, is a religion that has only been found in Wintermoore. The church centers around all adherents having a Whiyre Branch in their house within the common area of the home for all people to see. The branch is a symbol of the harmony of the many aspects of God. It is the common belief of the church that God has many different aspects: such as The Leader, The Maiden, The Elder, The Parents, The Twins, The Lover, and The Grotesque. The church believes that these aspects are all in one God, and all actions and events in a persons life are controlled by one of these aspects. The leader represents control and order, and is often depicted as a middle aged man in grey robes. The Parents represent Law and Intelligence, and are often depicted as a woman in a brown dress and a man in a blue suit. The Maiden represents adulthood, innocence, beauty, and love, and is often represented as a young woman in a long white dress with a wreath of roses on her head. The elder represents life and wisdom, and is often depicted as an old woman with a grey robe, a walking staff, a lamp, and a bun. The twins represent childhood and mischief, they are often represented as two small boys dressed in green clothing, leaves stuck in tangled blonde hair and barefoot. The Lover represents passion and emotion. He is often depicted as a brave young man with a sword and horse. The last of the nine gods is the one known as The Grotesque. The god that is little prayed to within the churches and represents war, death, fear, and the unknown. She is often depicted as half maiden and half corpse, with youthful hair and skin on her left side and the complexion of a corpse on the right. The places of worship for the Church of the Nine, known as the Noni, is a nine sided building with statues of all the nine aspects of the gods in it. The Nona is the religious leader and is always a woman. The Noni always has a Whiyre Tree in the center of the worship room. The adherents are often initiated into the faith in their childhood years by having a Whiyre Branch wreath placed on their head and a prayer said over them by the Nona of the Noni. Politics: The nation of Wintermoore is currently under the title of "The Commonwealth of Wintermoore" and is a constitutional republic. The nation is headed by the Director of State, who is an elected official that faces a 6 year terms. The people of Wintermoore are allowed to elect members to the General Assembly as well. Each state is allowed to send five members each. The nation currently has a number of three political parties: Peoples Equality Party, United Socialist League, and the Family Party. Currently, the USL has a majority seats in the General Assembly and the PEP has control of the Directors office. The government is currently seated in the city of White Crest. The nation also has four states, the North, South, East, and West. Each state is headed by a Warden, who's responsibilities are determined by the state in which they serve. All of these wardens, except the warden of the east, is a member of the Family Party. Culture: The nation of Wintermoore is very cultured, with a unique religion, many folk tales, and it's own language. The people of Wintermoore are, for the most part, of Winterian decent, with an 98% majority of the ethnicity total in the country. 1% of the population belonging to Illietian decent, and the other 1% belonging to the other Southfield nations. The people of Wintermoore are known for being very religious and for being a very pacifist people. The nation has had a very competitive sports team and has always been a friend to other people. The nation is known for its soup style cooking and it's very nature oriented populous. Apperance: The average Winterian person has white or grey hair, silver or blue eyes, and usually have pale white skin. These traits have been preserved in the population due to the xenophobic populace, and the tendency to only marry people of the same race. Language: The people of Wintermoore speak the language of Winterian. It is a very unique tongue, unlike any other language in the region. It is spoken usually with two different accents: eastern and western. 99% of the population in the country speaks this language. Foreign Relations: The nation of Wintermoore has adopted a partial neutrality stance to their relations with other nations. Wintermoore is home to many embassies. The nation of Wintermoore has approximately 32 embassies, with nations both within and outside the region of Southfield. Wintermoore has made an agreement to lend troops to any international peace efforts that are needed. They have also been the leading negotiator on many regional disputes. Wintermoore hopes to continue being a beacon of peace and stability in the world.